(WBC) Japan star Nootbaar putting friendship with Cardinals teammate on hold for Tokyo showdown

▲ Lars Nootbaar of Japan (R) celebrates an RBI single against the Hanshin Tigers during an exhibition game for the World Baseball Classic at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka on March 6, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Lars Nootbaar of Japan (R) prepares to swing against the Hanshin Tigers during an exhibition game for the World Baseball Classic at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka on March 6, 2023. (Yonhap)

(WBC) Japan player-rivalry

(WBC) Japan star Nootbaar putting friendship with Cardinals teammate on hold for Tokyo showdown

By Yoo Jee-ho

TOKYO, March 9 (Yonhap) -- St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar will have a unique opportunity playing for Japan at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) this month. While representing the country of his mother's birth, Nootbaar will go up against one of his closest friends on the Cardinals, Tommy Edman, who will play for South Korea, where his mother was born.

Nootbaar and Edman are two of several players allowed to compete in the WBC for their mothers' birth countries, thanks to the tournament's loose set of eligibility rules. Players can wear the uniform for a country of one of their parent's birth, even if they themselves aren't from that country.

And with Japan and South Korea on a collision course in Pool B at 7 p.m. Friday at Tokyo Dome, Nootbaar said he was ready to put his friendship with Edman on hold.

"Tommy is a good friend of mine and a good teammate of mine, but he's not going to be wearing the same uniform as me, so he's not a friend or a teammate this week," Nootbaar said at a pretournament press conference at the dome Wednesday. "My expectation is we go out there and win. Unfortunately, he's not on my team this time. No hard feelings to him, but that's just the way it is. He's going to be wearing Korea, and I am going to be wearing Japan. Hopefully, we come out victorious."

Nootbaar, who hit a career-high 14 homers in 108 games last year, said he has been "so overwhelmingly pleased" to be able to don Japanese colors.

"Everybody is so nice and so accepting, and that gives me even more reason to go out and play my heart out because I want to lay everything on the line for this team and this country," the 25-year-old said. "Anywhere that manager (Hideki) Kuriyama wants me to play, I will do that. I just want to be a part of the team. I will be ready wherever they want to put me. The main goal for the team is to just win."

For Nootbaar, an additional benefit of playing for world No. 1 Japan is to watch two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani on a daily basis. The Los Angeles Angels superstar, who won the 2021 American League MVP award, will start Japan's first game against China on Thursday night and will also bat in the stacked Japanese lineup.

"I think I'm just like a fan. I just fortunately get a front row seat to it. It's been pretty amazing to watch him go about his business, and handle himself on and off the field," Nootbaar said. "He's a freak of nature and even a better guy, and I mean that wholeheartedly."

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